A new feature documentary George Best: All By Himself from the makers of Box Office smash – ‘Bobby Sands: 66 Days’ – is set to premiere at the world famous BFI (British Film Institute) London Film Festival in October.
Produced by Belfast-based Fine Point Films, the documentary examines the life and times of George Best, growing up in East Belfast to becoming an international football legend with Manchester United.
The documentary is backed by international cable channel ESPN, BBC and Northern Ireland Screen, and will be shown at a prestigious first screening in Leicester Square on 14 October.
George Best: All By Himself is directed by the award winning Daniel Gordon who recently produced and directed the captivating two hour documentary ‘Hillsborough’, and internationally acclaimed ‘9.79’ on the infamous 100-metre race at the 1988 Seoul Olympics won by Ben Johnson which played at the Toronto International Film Festival.
A ‘homecoming’ premiere for George Best: All By Himself is expected to take place in Belfast in early 2017 before it hits cinemas across the UK and Ireland.
Trevor Birney, Producer of George Best: All By Himself said: “George Best is a global icon and our aim was to present his life story to an international audience. We’ve been working on the film for over two years and are very excited that audiences around the world are soon going to be able to see it.
Locally, Northern Ireland Screen and the BBC supported the film and we were delighted when ESPN came on board. It will be broadcast next year as part of their 30×30 series.
“Our objective was to bring the story to another level through extended interviews with a number of high profile people, delving deeper into their relationship with Best through his periods of significant success and also when suffering from his darkest moments from his alcoholism which defined most of his later life.
“The BFI London Film Festival is one of the most celebrated festivals in the world and to be selected to premiere there in October should serve as an indication of the quality of this film. The 2015 edition of the Festival opened with ‘Suffragette.’ (Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan) and has a tradition of showcasing major international documentaries such as George Best: All By Himself, so we are positioned right up there with the biggest international players.”
